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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28841274">A Minute Away</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuminousFiore/pseuds/LuminousFiore'>LuminousFiore</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Canonical Character Death, F/M, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), romanogers - Freeform</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-01-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 14:13:32</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,867</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28841274</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuminousFiore/pseuds/LuminousFiore</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Some days Steve was slow and sweet and took his time to caress each inch of her body with such devotion that Natasha almost tricked herself into believing that they were a couple like the ones Natasha had seen on those rom coms Sam loved so much instead of... On other days he was rougher, almost animalistic, and her clothes usually ended torn to shreds, not that she minded. He never offered to stay the night, and she never asked.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Steve Rogers &amp; Natasha Romanov, Steve Rogers/Natasha Romanov</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>74</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Their arrangement started sometime after the Snap, right after they killed Thanos, and Thor and Tony officially left the group. Steve also left soon after, although his departure was a slow process and he still stopped by the base every week to do his laundry and check up on the new team. They shared a meal while he waited for his clothes and it was during one of those meals that it started. No one can really say who leaned in first or who started kissing first, it simply happened. They had been flirting for a while now, but after the fiasco at the airport their attraction had increased exponentially, she had attributed it to the fact that they were running together and she was the only single woman in the team, but deep down she knew that was not the reason. The truth is they had made a connection ever since they laid eyes on each other and, while it wasn’t love at first sight, it was definitely attraction. There were moments during their time together when Natasha thought he would say something about them, but something always came up, first Ultron, then the civil war, then Bruce’s call, and now the Snap. Natasha just about gave up when their arrangement started.</p><p>What started as a make-out session turned into the most pleasurable sex Natasha had ever had, and so from then on, every week Steve would come back to the base, they would talk or eat, and Natasha would guide Steve towards either one of their rooms. Some days Steve was slow and sweet and took his time to caress each inch of her body with such devotion that Natasha almost tricked herself into believing that they were a couple like the ones Natasha had seen on those rom coms Sam loved so much instead of... On other days he was rougher, almost animalistic, and her clothes usually ended torn to shreds, not that she minded. He never offered to stay the night, and she never asked. She almost laughed at the bitter irony of her reality: the Black Widow, famous for her “love them and leave them” lifestyle found herself on the other side of her tactic. There were days in which Natasha wondered whether they would be a couple by now if the Snap hadn’t happened, or whether they would have started to sleep together if the Snap hadn’t happened. And what if this was just a way for Steve to deal with his grief? And what if...no, Natasha knew Steve respected her too much to simply use her as a stress reliever.</p><p>Still, she sometimes wondered how his arms would feel wrapped around her at night, how waking up beside him would be like and what would it feel like to kiss him not just to have sex but because she simply wanted to. She caught herself at times yearning for more and she had to scold herself, she was trained not to yearn and how could she when there were millions and millions of kids without parents and siblings and people who had lost every single person in their lives. Stark had left her unlimited access to his wealth and technology when he retired, and Okoye had pledged Wakanda’s technology to help the world rebuild, and that’s exactly what they did. Natasha founded PROGENY, the Philanthropic Rescue Organization Generated to Empower Non-snapped Youth, and started spending more time at the PROGENY center than the base, which limited her encounters with Steve and at the same time made the little time they had together more passionate. It was during one of those times that Scott Lang came back and brought hope in the shape of time travel.</p><p>Finding Clint took her less time than she thought it would, something told her that he was letting her find him. She took one look into his eyes and instantly knew that she would do anything and everything to bring back Laura, the kids, and their friends. While preparing everything for their trip, Steve would sometimes offer soft comforting caresses and his hand would linger for a minute longer when he handed her a cup of coffee or whatever she needed at the moment. She would inconspicuously squeeze his arm when she passed by him and offer him small smiles here and there. If the team noticed, they didn’t let on.</p><p>They were alone in the kitchen at the base adjusting their suits and making sure their weapons were functioning, the silence was comfortable but the air was charged with all the things left unsaid. Natasha wasn’t shy at all, but the idea of speaking about them and what lied in the future was terrifying, if she spoke and Steve didn’t feel or want the same, she would lose the one thing that had kept her going the past 5 years, so she stayed silent as she polished her guns.</p><p>“Nat,” Steve spoke without looking up, “I think we have to talk about...about what's been going on um between us,” he finished as he finally looked up, Natasha stared back at him, his blue eyes meeting her green ones with an intensity that took her breath away.</p><p>“Steve-” “I..I know you feel about emotions and relationships but I need to tell you this,” he started nervously before bravely continuing, “Natasha I-”</p><p>“Hey Cap!” Scott barged into the kitchen and was immediately met with Nasha’s death glare, don’t get her wrong, she liked Scott and his fanboy attitude, but at that very moment, she wanted nothing more than to strangle him. Scott cowered and instinctively took a small step back before awkwardly announcing, “everyone’s ready but uh if you two need a moment alone I’ll just leave, and yeah,” he almost ran out the kitchen, leaving Natasha and Steve in awkward silence.</p><p>“I think that we should continue this conversation when we get back, okay?” Natasha asked while gently taking his hand in hers, letting him know that he hadn’t scared her with his almost-confession.</p><p>Was she disappointed by the intrusion? Of course, but she had waited more than 5 years for this moment, she could wait one more minute, and if they succeeded and brought their friends back they would have an even bigger reason to celebrate. Proudly and with a new sense of determination, the team walked towards the “time machine” and listened to Steve’s speech, the anticipation of the trip building with every word, and their spirits were high as ever.</p><p>“I’ll see you in a minute,” Natasha said cheerfully, her eyes meeting Steve’s in the form of a promise, what she had waited for so long was only a minute away now.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>From the moment he laid his eyes on her he knew he was doomed to fall for her. It wasn’t just her ethereal beauty, but the way she held herself and the way she never seemed to falter. She reminded her of Peggy’s no-nonsense attitude and strength, and later on, when she started relaxing and making jokes (often at his expense), she also reminded him of Bucky. He was overjoyed when their acquaintanceship progressed to friendship and the possibility of more was just on the horizon...and then Thanos happened. </p>
<p><br/>He often wondered what would they be if the Snap hadn’t happened, would they be together? Would they be a couple? Nothing? The same? Wanda used to joke about how he and Nat were her overprotective adoptive parents and while Natasha mainly rolled her eyes at the assertion his heart flooded with warmth.<br/>The Snap took almost everything from him, and he couldn’t handle it, he wasn’t as strong as Natasha. He couldn’t look at the survivors of the battle and tell them it was over, he couldn’t look at the children left behind and tell them it would be alright, he couldn’t keep leading when there was barely anyone left to lead, and so he left. It would end up being one of the biggest regrets of his life.</p>
<p><br/>He thought it would be for the best, and in a way it was, under Natasha’s leadership the survivors thrived, they managed to establish a resemblance of order in the world and helped the people reconstruct, but he distanced himself from his last chance at love.</p>
<p><br/>He visited her often and used every excuse in the book to do so, “I was just in the area,” “I need to do some laundry,” “just came to check up on the team,” etc etc etc. Captain America was brave and bold, but Steve Rogers was still just a boy from Brooklyn, too scared to talk to pretty girls like Natasha just for the sake of talking.</p>
<p><br/>It was during one of his visits that it started, Natasha was talking about Tony and his family and how that life wasn’t for someone like her. He wanted to tell her that it could be. He wanted to tell her that she didn’t have to be strong anymore, not with him. He wanted her to know that they could run away, the way she had wanted to with Bruce, they could run away and be happy, maybe even adopt a child and become the stereotypical suburban family with the dog and a nice house with a white picket fence. He kissed her instead, softly at first and when she started reciprocating he kissed her with such an intensity one could mistake it for a love confession, and maybe it was.</p>
<p><br/>Their kiss turned into more and at the end, Steve wasn’t sure what they were anymore.</p>
<p><br/>He never offered to stay the night, fearing that that would scare Natasha away and the little time they had with each other would end. He had tried to hold her before, but she always went immediately to shower after they were done as if wanting to get rid of the evidence of their intimacy. He had come to accept it, but deep down he hoped that one day Natasha would let him hold her, even if for just a minute.</p>
<p><br/>He had worked with Scott Lang once, and he thought that he was a good man, if a little awkward. After he was presumed dead, Steve made a point to let his daughter know himself, it was the least he could do. So when he showed up, alive and well five years after the Thanos fiasco, Steve thought that perhaps not everything was lost.</p>
<p><br/>He had a bad feeling about the entire thing, maybe it was the old man in him, but he didn’t entirely trust their lives to a barely tested machine. He knew that he had to let her know, just in case anything happened to him, but of course, his timing was less than right.</p>
<p><br/>“I think that we should continue this conversation when we get back, okay?” Natasha’s hand in his, so warm and gentle...he understood why the Hulk had found it so calming, and he nodded. Maybe everything would be alright, and when Natasha said she would see him in a minute he didn’t doubt it, the universe couldn’t be so cruel for it not to be true...right?</p>
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